MINERAL SPRINGS, N.C.,None — A growing Union County town doesn't have sewer service, and it's causing major problems for the downtown area that local leaders hoped would thrive.
Most of the businesses in the heart of Mineral Springs are closed, which town leaders blame on the lack of sewer service.
Even the town's new fire department is without it, and firefighters said it's costing them thousands of dollars per year.
"If we could just go ahead and get a sewer line put out here, it would make life a lot easier [and a] lot less complicated," Chief Don Gaddy said.
Gaddy said they have to pump sewage into tanks and then pay hundreds of dollars a month to have it hauled away. He said that money could be better spent on upgrading firefighting equipment or purchasing new uniforms.
"If there's a bad fire and we get [our uniforms] burned or get [them] torn, we have to replace it," he said. "You can't go into a fire without it."
Mayor Rick Becker said 95 percent of downtown business buildings are vacant, which he blames on the lack of sewer service.
"It's been a problem, and [it's] becoming an increasing problem," he said.
Mineral Springs is the only town in Union County that doesn't have sewer service.
Ed Goscicki with the county's Public Works Department, said they're working on a master plan that includes sewer lines for Mineral Springs.
However, the plan's implementation and completion could be years away. Goscicki admitted that, until then, the situation is less than ideal.
"The fire station has some immediate needs and that alone is a $300,000 project," he said. "The entire town … it would be a couple million dollars"
Becker and other town leaders said they are now working with Union County Commissioners to try to fast-track the planning of the sewer line.
WSOC
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